Inbox: Portland’s Water War

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The water ain’t so muddy on this one as WW
suggests: It’s a simple case of big corporations trying to take over the
Water Bureau to cut their rates (not ours) and take over the Bureau of
Environmental Services to gut the environmental protections that make
Portland such a great place to live [“Talkin’ Bull,” WW, April 23, 2014].

Yes, the City Council
made some mistakes that made room for these opportunists to trick
people into supporting their takeover. But those infamous “pet projects”
barely add up to a rounding error in the Water Bureau’s budget.

What is driving the
high rates is the Big Pipe and burying the reservoirs. I’m against the
reservoir project, but there is nothing a new board could do to stop it.
If they try, they will get sued, they will lose, they will bury the
reservoirs—with the added expense of all those legal fees.

Listen to the chorus of civic groups that are paying close attention.

Don’t be fooled! Vote “no” on Measure 26-156.

—“Xander Patterson”

Elected volunteer boards are supervising utility districts
all across Oregon, and doing a pretty good job. Take the paid
politicians out of the equation, and let the utilities focus on their
core business.

—“Skepti-Cal”

The infrastructure projects are necessary. I am voting to
keep the water and sewer system in city control. I do not like the
corporate interests with so much power, if they win this battle at the
polls.

That there could even
be the mere perception that such a person were getting out just
demonstrates where our so-called “justice” system truly lies. There are
untold (and uncounted) numbers of innocent people rotting away in prison
right now, because they simply were not “savvy enough” to game the
process.

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